Opportunities

Whatever your experience, there are opportunities for you to get involved with and support the museums and Botanic Garden. Throughout the year, we offer a limited number of work experience placements, internships, apprenticeships and volunteer opportunities.

We truly appreciate the time given by people filling these roles as they contribute to the meaningful delivery of the collections' aims and objectives.

Work Experience

Each year, the University of Cambridge Museums runs two Work Experience Weeks. These weeks are for students aged 14-15 (year 10) and we take on four students each week. The deadline for our 2020 Work Experience Weeks has now passed and no more applications will be accepted. The dates for the summer 2021 will be released in December 2020. We will welcome applications from all year 10 students, although priority will be given to those students in our local area.

If you are interested in applying to work with us, these definitions about the roles that we offer might be helpful:

- Work experience offers school-aged participants the opportunity to spend one week outside of school to learn new skills and develop their self-confidence, timekeeping and communication skills as well as to discover more about a particular career or industry.

- Internships are temporary, fixed-term placements (usually for three months part time) with a job title and involves a wage. They are available as and when funding is available. Internships are the first step of a career path and provide enough experience during the duration that the participant is then qualified for a permanent job within the industry.

Please note for clarification that internships required as part of a course of study will not be paid and should be considered as a 'placement' or ‘studentship’. These positions will be made available through and filled by the individual museum or department.

- Apprenticeships are run through a formal accredited structure and provide vocational learning for people aged 16 and over which leads to a certificate equivalent to GCSE passes. As such, this role is not applicable for those who have graduated University. Apprentices will be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week for one year.

- Volunteers offer their time, skills and experience free of charge. They do not have a contract of employment but will usually sign a volunteer agreement setting out responsibilities and expectations. Volunteer opportunities vary in the time commitment required from one-off events to more formal, recurring roles. Take a look at our volunteering opportunities.

Please note: some roles within the museums receive a high level of interest, but only a limited number of opportunities exist.

Full- and part-time paid job opportunities within the University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden are advertised centrally on the University of Cambridge recruitment website.